6 Best Aerobic Exercise At Home for Weight Loss
Not all types of cardio are advisable for maintaining good health and losing weight. Results from some studies report moderate-intensity cardio to not be as useful in losing weight as high-intensity cardio; the former leads to considerable muscle loss and joint pain.
When you start a cardio routine and maintain it, however, you can be sure that in a matter of months, your body fat will have dropped at a considerably good rate. The result is, you look better and feel more energetic.
There is also a wide range of benefits of aerobic exercise that works in protecting you from heart diseases. How aerobic exercise prevents accumulation of fat and fatty acids is by lowering the blood pressure and making the blood vessels a little turgid. When blood vessels are taut, they have less tendency to get clogged.
So, if the idea of losing weight in your home interests you, here are six aerobic exercises that you can do in the comfort of your home:
Jumping Jacks
This workout target most of all muscle groups in your body, especially your calves and glutes. It is usually done as a warm-up exercise.
How to: Start with feet together and hands down by the side. Then jump with your out sideways with your arms swung above your head simultaneously. Land at starting position. Repeat.
Jumping Rope
Also known as skipping, is one of the most effective cardio workouts for weight loss. It’s not only a calorie expeller but also build stronger bones and makes your heart more durable. Compared to running, it is a much more intensive exercise than running as you would have to run a mile or at least eight minutes to work the same amount of calories that you would burn using a jumping rope in one spot. You can burn 200 calories if you jump for 10 minutes.
How to: Flip the rope over your head to your back and start hopping at a low speed, jumping each time you lower it, and swinging back up repeatedly. Then take a ten-second break after every 50 jumps and try to take it a notch higher.
Then start over. For a tougher challenge, jump and try touching your heels to your butt.
Squat Jumps
Squat jumps are useful for strengthening the calf and feet muscles. It also improves the ability of the waist to absorb tension and pressure, along with the run of the mill increase in heart rate and more natural breathing.
How to: Stand with your feet apart at hip width. Arch your back and push your hips backward. Bend your knees gently to lower into a squat (to prepare for leaping). Then jump with as much explosive power as you can muster to lift you as high as you can. Try to land softly, feet first (if possible toe first) then immediately squat down and repeat the process so that you’re pushing the floor away from you as you leap with the same explosive power. If you want to, you are free to use your arms to propel yourself higher. Do as many squat jumps as you can for one minute, rest for another minute, the go again. Do five sets.
Running Stairs
A flight of stairs can also serve as a workout tool. Running up and down stairs is usually fun for children, and you can adapt it to burn some considerable amount of calories. A 150-lb adult who walks the stairs for 30 minutes can burn off 500 calories.
How to: Simple. Look for any staircase near you that has more than one flight and get going. If there are no stairs around, then consider investing in a treadmill.
Elliptical
According to the la fitness reviews blog, An elliptical is a machine that works your body optimally without straining your muscles too much or the risks of outdoor exercises. It is tailored to suit your cardio needs indoors.
How to: Step on the elliptical and hold the handles. Start pedaling. Press the quick-start button increase resistance level. Try to maintain breathing as you increase your speed. After some time, rest, then try to pedal backward with the same intensity. Pedal backward with the same power.
Swimming
If you swim for an hour, you can lose anywhere from 500 to 700 calories.
How to: Wear swimming gear and get into the water. Swim for about ten laps using freestyle strokes to work all your muscles.
The Significant Benefits of Aerobic Exercises
Prolonged cardio routines further contribute to your health by increasing the volume of the blood that gets pumped per heartbeat. This is the reason responsible for the twice higher stroke volume experienced by athletic people compared to those who live sedentary lifestyles.
Another thing aerobic exercise does to your body is to force it to use fat as an energy source in place of glucose hence, decreasing the formation of lactic acid during high-intensity activity thereby reducing the body’s propensity to get muscle cramps. When this happens, you can keep going for a more extended period without much fatigue. You should also note that since your body needs oxygen in excess to burn fat which are higher density molecules than carbs, the most sensible way to increase intake of oxygen. And the most excellent way to improve your oxygen intake is to do lots of cardiovascular exercising regularly.
There are a lot of other known benefits of aerobic exercise that include but are not limited to management and reduction of anxiety, depression, and stress. Aerobic exercises also rev up your mood due to the production of dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin, hormones that make you feel happy, light and sound. Cardio also affords you with bursts of energy and better stamina. A study once reported that people who walk three to five days per week at least 30 minutes at any point in time would have reduced their chances of experiencing depression by 47 percent after twelve weeks.